The Trial II
"Unbelievable."
I asked, half in disbelief, yet the other half tinged with undeniable anticipation.
"Can zombies really perform the role of a judge?"
"No, no, they're not zombies; they're NPCs. Please don't make that mistake again. And as for whether they will succeed… Well, I don't know, but it's definitely worth a try…"
Despite her words, Noh Do-hwa's sly gaze sparkled with unmistakable excitement.
Like little kids playing tricks behind their teachers' backs, the two of us watched the room of zombies—rather, the warehouse constantly reciting the text of the law books.
Judges!
In this devastated world, somehow reviving the function of a 'court' had been a long-held ambition for both Noh Do-hwa and myself.
The National Road Management Corps had managed to connect the shredded lands of the nation like a delicate web. However, operating a national court system seemed impossible.
"I could take on the role of a judge temporarily for significant cases, or powerful guild leaders could gather and handle them like a jury system."
Neither the guild leaders nor I had leisure. How could we handle dozens of incidents happening every day in an apocalyptic world?
In the end, the guilds that had taken over each city had no choice but to run their own 'court-like systems.'
In plain terms, it was like handing a gavel to thugs. How could that possibly function properly?
While places like Busan, governed by Dang Seo-rin—who boasts intelligence of 91 and political acumen of 95—enjoyed a golden age (by post-apocalypse standards), most cities on the Korean Peninsula were ruled by local tyrants. Unless one was Sim Cheong[1], one often faced utterly unreasonable verdicts. Even if you were Sim Cheong, it was still crap.
"How long will it take to input all the law books into their heads?"
"Ah. Hmm, I've never asked for this much memory input before, so I can't be sure, but a month should be more than enough!"
Noh Do-hwa nodded at Cheon Yo-hwa's words. We sealed the warehouse door and returned to our daily routines.
One month later.
Noh Do-hwa, myself, and the Saintess, forming what you might call the full Regressor Alliance, gathered together. Cheon Yo-hwa also joined as a guest member.
"Then, let's open it!"
With a thud, the heavy warehouse door opened.
A foul odor wafted out, as if someone had stewed the essence of an unemployed shut-in for three months in a corner.
And no one even wrinkled their brows. Of course. Nowadays, if you smelled a corpse outside your house, you'd just think, 'Someone else bit the dust last night,' and move on.
"Hmm."
In the center of the warehouse, a zombie... no, an NPC stood with an incredibly stupid expression, gaping wide.
One might doubt whether it could properly memorize the law, but none of us judged people solely on their appearance.
"That looks incredibly stupid," said Noh Do-hwa.
"Anyway, let's test it. You all didn't come here just to be busybodies. Now, Cheon Yo-hwa, hubae...?"
"Ah, yes, Sunbae!"
With a hop, Cheon Yo-hwa stepped in front of the NPC and reached out to stroke its head.
"You are a judge."
[……]
"When disputes arise between people or organizations, determine who is right or mediate between the two!"
As she whispered about the 'role of a judge,' dark shadows crept from Cheon Yo-hwa's forearm into the NPC's head, swaying like black serpents.
That must be Cheon Yo-hwa's Necromancy.
Soon, the black serpents all retracted into the NPC's head. Cheon Yo-hwa fluttered her hand, "Phew."
"It's done. It's my first time asking someone to do something like this, so I'm not sure if it applied well. Anyway, feel free to ask it anything!"
"Hmm."
I glanced at the Saintess.
Her usual expressionless face made it hard to read her, but even the Saintess seemed intently focused on the NPC before us—a regressor's eyes could tell.
After all, wasn't she the very person who turned dark during the 107th cycle because villains roamed unpunished?
Noh Do-hwa, sensing my gaze, deferred to the Saintess.
"Why don't you ask the first question…?"
"...…"
Nod.
The Saintess stepped forward to face the NPC.
Despite holding the attention of some of the most powerful Awakeners on the Korean Peninsula, the NPC simply gaped dumbly.
Cheon Yo-hwa cheerfully suggested, "Please set up the situation!"
"…A middle-aged man entered an abandoned house. However, an 11-year-old child was actually living there. The man was checking for any useful items when he discovered the child, who immediately cursed at him to get out. Enraged by the insults, the man charged at the child and fatally stabbed him in the throat with a dagger the size of a kitchen knife."
"Whoa."
"The man believes he had no intention of killing the child. In this case, was there intent to commit murder, and thus would it affect the sentence?"
[Initiating response. Intention in murder does not necessarily require a premeditated intent to kill.]
Suddenly, the NPC's head, which had been tilted at about a 10-degree angle, snapped to an upright position.
[Awareness of the killing is sufficient, which includes involuntary manslaughter.]
"……"
[Given that the defendant charged at the victim with a dagger after being severely provoked by insults and inflicted a fatal wound on the victim's neck, it is impossible to accept that the defendant lacked 'awareness of the killing' at the time. Considering the circumstances, it is justifiable to convict the defendant of this murder.]
"……"
[Response concluded.]
The NPC's head slumped again.
"Hmm."
As everyone hesitated to speak, Noh Do-hwa let out a grunt—or rather, it was more like a groan.
People have unique habits when deep in thought.
In Noh Do-hwa's case, it involved fidgeting with her always-worn black leather gloves. She pinched the tip of the glove's index finger, tugging it this way and that as if managing invisible nails before slipping it back in place.
"Hmm. Well, that's…?"
With a sharp pull, Noh Do-hwa stretched the leather glove taut, almost to the point of snapping.
A sinister laugh echoed through the shabby warehouse.
"Let's test it in the field right away…"
The beta test results for the 'AI judge' were less than spectacular.
"What? An AI judge?"
"What good is that supposed to do?"
The reason was that the guild leaders who occupied various cities felt no need to adopt an AI judge.
They already enjoyed the status of warlords. Why should we separate judicial power? The separation of powers is an outdated concept, isn't it?
But even if guild leaders behaved like warlords within their territories, they had their limits. In other words, once they stepped outside their neighborhood boundaries, they turned into weaklings.
"They invaded our territory first!"
"Why is that your territory? It's ours. Plus, you killed our people first!"
Typically, guild disputes like this.
Usually, guild leaders either fought to the death or asked a third party for mediation.
And there were only three people in the Korean Peninsula who were universally recognized as 'capable of fair mediation.' Dang Seo-rin. Noh Do-hwa. Me.
"National Road Management Corps Commander!"
"Commander, please make a judgment!"
Noh Do-hwa tried her best to look empathetic.
"Oh, such a thing has happened. As always, I will mediate with all my heart, ensuring no grievances or resentment remains…"
"Oh my. Thank you, Commander!"
"Yes."
The problem was that the three of us could not possibly be perfectly fair.
Of course, we strived to be as fair as possible, but whether outsiders saw it that way was another matter.
It was nearly impossible to satisfy both sides in a dispute, and so, whenever we offered a mediation, quite a bit of grumbling followed behind the scenes.
"But folks, have you heard about the newly introduced AI judge? It's really something…"
"Really?"
Seizing this opportunity, Noh Do-hwa pushed the AI judge to the guild leaders.
And, as always, she schemed a little here too.
"You know I used to be a civil servant before the world turned out like this, right?"
"Oh, yes. That's a well-known story."
"Actually, back then, the government was already debating whether to introduce an AI judge, and if so, to what extent should its authority be recognized. Maybe we could just let it handle very trivial cases based on precedents. That was also a mainstream opinion in the legal community."
"Oh… Yes…"
"Some time ago, our scouts brought back a few computers from a government building, and one of them had an AI program installed. So, this is a real AI that was actually used in practice. What do you think, everyone? How about we try hearing a decision just for a test?"
"Hmm."
"Of course, I have no intention of entrusting decisions to a mere program. Just think, [What kind of decision would have been made if civilization were still intact], and let's just listen to it for reference. The world has changed so much that we can't apply the judgment directly, but still, I think it makes sense to ask for an objective opinion from a 'third party' other than 'us'…"
"Hmm."
Up to this point, the National Road Management Corps Commander had been peddling something the guild leaders couldn't simply refuse. After all, he was the head of the organization that paved their roads and maintained their routes.
More importantly, I stood behind Noh Do-hwa. The presence of an Awakener who alone had shattered the Ten Legs made the warlords think twice.
"So, shall we just hear what it has to say?"
And the guild leaders experienced that the AI judge was reasonably fair and surprisingly convenient to use.
[Judgment. A shall compensate B with 200 million.]
"In this day and age, where do you even find 200 million in cash?"
Noh Do-hwa chuckled sinisterly.
"What do you think? If you are not satisfied, I can mediate from the beginning and ignore this program's opinion…"
"...…"
"……"
The guild leaders were deep in thought. Their looks could roughly be translated as:
"If it was before the country collapsed, a compensation of 200 million could roughly equate to handing over a small workshop to them, isn't that a small price for a dispute?"
"Anyway, it sided with me. If I let Noh Do-hwa mediate and he smoothly glosses over it saying 'let's get along,' wouldn't it actually harm my dignity more?"
The guild leaders exchanged glances.
"Uh, well. How about we try to come to an agreement among ourselves first and if that doesn't work, can we then ask the Commander for help?"
"Oh, by all means. It's absolutely fine. This AI-loaded NPC will also be distributed among you, so make good use of it…"
"Really? That's okay?"
"Of course. Heh. It's free…"
Noh Do-hwa's judge NPCs were distributed evenly across the cities of the Korean Peninsula.
Guild leaders returned to their cities, pondering how to utilize their newly acquired toys.
And of course, even if a guild managed one city, there were numerous factions within it.
"Your people invaded our territory first!"
"Why is that your territory? It's ours. Plus, you killed our people first!"
"Hyung!"
"Hyung, please make a judgment!"
"Uh…"
When disputes arose among factions, it was naturally the guild leader's role to mediate.
By making the right judgments, the guild leader showcased their power, but it was not easy to always be seen as fair.
And the guild leaders finally realized.
This interesting but seemingly outdated AI judge could indeed perform a role.
"But guys, have you heard about the newly introduced AI judge? It's really something…"
"Really?"
AI Judge, national debut confirmed!
Footnotes:
[1] Sim Cheong-jeon is a story about the titular Sim Cheong, who throws herself into the Indang Sea as a sacrifice so that her blind father can regain his eyesight. This selfless act of filial piety causes her to be resurrected and become an empress, and her father's blindness is cured.
